Little Star
by Ariadne Bassarid
Summary: Serenity has 3 men and her mom telling her what to do, a job in a strip club, and classes to attend... And then the Kaibas show up on scene. DISCONTINUED.
1. Chapter 1

_**Little Star**_

_To anyone who read the first chapter of Before You're Burned, don't worry; it'll definitely be continued. I find myself coming up with more, though. Thought I'd try something serious. If you've heard the Soundtrack, you'll know the title is a song. _

_Standard disclaimers apply - don't own YGO, or Gackt's hot sexy body, or anything else mentioned herein except my own angsty/corny ideas._

_Seto-Serenity, obviously._

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**Chapter One.**

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I groaned as I slid into my car and flopped my head back against the headrest. My feet ached in my black leather shoes and I wistfully thought about the pair of white sneakers lying at home on my bedroom floor. I didn't even want to drive home in these things. My legs didn't feel much better, they were cold from the short skirt - fishnets weren't a stocking. They were a fashion statement. One I wasn't so happy with, come to that.

At least had my coat. Of course, I always did, since I needed it to get past my boyfriend and leave our apartment. Duke thought I worked in a cafe.

It was almost true.

I sighed and turned the key in the ignition. For some crazy reason, I actually expected it would buzz to life and carry me gently home - if you can call icy road conditions and the late-night winter mist splitting your headlights wildly a gentle ride - but the engine was as cold as I was.

I glanced around the parking lot. It was almost empty. It should've been; I'd just finished closing Les Femmes Fatales up for the night. There was one fogged-up car, far over on the other side of the dark and desolate carpark, and I wasn't going to bother THAT for anything.

I shivered, then tried the engine again, holding my breath - still nothing.

I started flicking switches, hoping for life. No radio, no air conditioning, no lights. I stared at the handle for my headlights. It was already in the on position. Well. Mother... Of pearl. And that's what happens when you're running late.

"Great, Serenity. You're tired, hungry, and now grumpy and you can't go home because you're a TOTAL IDIOT whose car battery is dead because you left your lights on. Again. So you've only been driving a few months, that isn't much of an excuse." I looked at myself in the rearview mirror and wasn't too impressed by what I saw. I looked grumpy with me.

The brown eyes reflected were artfully lined with a warm chocolate colour, tinted on top with a bronze-green. And they were a little red, and had bags under them. I poked gently at the skin for a moment and sighed. Late nights and early classes were not a good mix, and not even Mai's make up tips could help with that one.

"Cellphone!" I breathed, and lunged for where I'd thrown my purse. As usual, I'd chucked it into the car and let it go right over the other side of the passenger seat, figuring I'd worry about it when I got to my destination. As usual, it was wedged between the seat and the door. I gave it a sharp tug, and with a grunt my little black bag came free.

I fell onto the handbrake and it poked into my stomach. I grunted again, but otherwise ignored it as I rooted around, tossing things out. Make up, money, a cocktail napkin with my hours for next week written on it, three blue ballpoint pens, vanilla perfume... A letter one of my friends had passed to me in my marketing class... A scrap of paper with a library book written on it that I really needed to get some time soon...

My bag was empty.

"Oh no."

Think, Serenity. When you left the house, you were running late because you'd been talking to Joey on the phone, and you grabbed your coat and put it on... I patted my pockets absently and came up with a lipgloss... And then you grabbed your bag off the kitchen bench, and... Left your cellphone sitting on the table by the door.

I wailed and let my head flop forward onto the steering wheel.

HOOOOOOOOOOOOONK.

I might have just ignored the noise and stayed there, but there was a sharp tapping on my window. I shrieked and grabbed one of my pens.

There was a guy wearing a black business suit standing outside the car. I smashed the button for the central locking and heard the reassuring click of the car doors.

Outside, he rolled his eyes. Familiar eyes, come to think of it. Blue eyes. Familiar face. Face that I saw on magazine covers a lot and sometimes drew funny moustaches and mullets on. Yeeeah... Seto Kaiba probably wasn't going to rape me, though I had to wonder what he was doing here. He said something to me.

"What?"

He repeated himself.

Oh, right. Locked inside a car with the windows wound up tight. I tentatively put down the window on his side.

"Are you alright?"

He had a look of concern on his face. Funny. Most of the time his face was so impassive. Not that I made a point of _studying _his face, of course. I mean, when I was fourteen I thought about getting a poster of him and putting it in my wardrobe, behind my clothes, where Joey wouldn't see it. And the doodling didn't count. But he was in the media a lot, and he never seemed to be smiling.

Maybe it was because I was sitting here at one o clock in the morning with my head on my car horn.

His eyes flicked over me.

Or, maybe it was because I was wearing a french maid outfit. That'll get a guy to look interested. I yawned.

He turned away.

"No!" I blurted. Good going, space cadet. Your cavalry shows up and you become mute. "No, actually, my battery is dead, and I forgot my cellphone, and I know how to program the alarm but not how to disarm it, and I'm too scared to walk to a pay phone because this isn't the greatest area, you know, so - " I yawned again, involuntarily.

"Do you want to use my cellphone or what?" he interrupted harshly.

"Yes, please."

He stared at me through the window for a few moments. "Well, open the door, then."

"Oh. Right." I hesitated for a moment, hand over the lock button. Then there was a click as the doors unlocked.

He wrenched the passenger door open and I jumped slightly.

He bent down to pass his phone inside, and I held up the hand holding my blue pen.

"If that's your form of payment, I have enough pens, thanks."

I laughed nervously. And stuck the pen in my pocket, before taking his cellphone. At least I knew how to work that properly. As the earpiece began its dull, throbbing ring, I contemplated my own state of exhausted idiocy. Sleep, sweet sleep, come to me now.

"Hello?"

"Duke!"

He yawned. "...'Renity? Why aren't you here in bed?"

Oh goody, I woke him up.

"Getting there, Duke. I just called because - " I froze. Well, actually, I was already frozen from the weather, but now my mouth stopped working again. I glanced at Kaiba, who raised his eyebrows.

"...I love you!" I chirped.

Kaiba didn't look surprised. He sort of looked like how a surprised snowman with very blue eyes would look if he wasn't actually a snowman and was in fact capable of looking surprised. If you know what I mean.

"See you soon!" I pushed the big red button.

"Okay. You're... Clearly insane. Now give me back my phone, and I'll be going."

I sighed as he held out his hand. "I'm sorry, Mr Kaiba, I called the wrong person. If you could just - "

He was staring at me. Uh oh. Maybe he thought I didn't know who he was. Fat chance of that - every girl between the ages of ten and death knew who Seto Kaiba was. Sort of like they knew Gackt. Or Johnny Depp.

"I have to go."

"Please!" I pleaded. "I have no other way of getting home!"

He folded his arms, standing outside my car. "Fine. Make it quick."

I shook my head as I pushed the numbers on the keypad. Stupid, stupid, dialing the wrong number automatically. Stupid fingers. Duke can't pick you up if he doesn't know where you are. I mean, he doesn't know where you are, so he can't pick you up.

"Hello?" This voice sounded more awake.

"Hi, Tristan," I said softly.

"Serenity?"

"Yeah." Great, now he sounded even perkier.

"What is it? Do you need something?"

"Actually, yeah." I looked around my settings. "My car is dead and I'm stuck at work."

"I'll be right there!" He'd hung up before I got the chance to even say thank you. It was nice someone was so happy when I got into trouble.

Kaiba extended his hand again, and I quickly gave him back his fancy phone. "Thank you, Mr Kaiba, I honestly wouldn't - "

"Look, just don't tell anyone I was here, and we're even." Ah. That would be why he was unhappy I recognised him.

"No problem, don't tell anyone I was here, either," I responded.

His eyes narrowed and he glanced at his phone. "I see."

"What?"

"Nothing. Goodnight - goodbye." Kaiba made to close the door behind him.

"Wait!"

He turned to face me again, giving a loud sigh.

"I was... Uh... Just wondering why you were here? I didn't see you inside."

"That's because I wasn't inside!" He sounded indignant. Oops. "I'm here looking for my little brother. I thought he might have been in this car."

For the first time I realised there was another car stopped behind me. ...What? Like I was checking my mirrors for other vehicles, sitting there in the parking lot!

"I guess he's over there." Kaiba glared at the car across the way with the fogged windows.

I swallowed, thinking about the young man we'd had in tonight waving money around and flirting with all the girls. He was good looking. Or I thought so. I guess it depends on how you feel about black hair spiked up with white streaks on either side - very Bride of Frankenstein. And tongue rings. And leather pants.

But I hadn't realised he was cute little Mokuba, who used to tag around after my brother's friends. Yeah, sort of like I did.

"I'll be going now. Like I was never here. Meditate on that thought," he said dryly, and slammed my door.

Unable to vanquish my curiousity, I watched him get in his fancy, dark blue sports car and drive across the lot. Then he wrenched the rear door of the other vehicle open and started gesturing wildly. Eventually, Mokuba climbed out, gestured a bit, and they drove off. The other car left then, too.

And not too long after that, my knight on a big black motorcycle rode up. His hazel brown eyes were eager even though it was two in the morning. He promised me he'd bring me back before breakfast, when he got his hands on some jumper cables and an actual car with an actual engine to jump with.

I didn't tell Duke about my car troubles. I didn't tell Tristan about the Kaibas. I went home, put my headphones on, and climbed into bed. I played the Romeo and Juliet Soundtrack. At some point Duke pressed his familiar shape into my side, and I still felt cold with his arm around my waist, his face nuzzled into my neck. He smelled like oranges, though.

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_Continue, Y/N? Heh._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Little Star**_

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**Chapter Two.**

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I sat quietly in the passenger seat, watching the early morning sunlight break across the frosted buildings, the people walking quickly with their arms wrapped across their chests.

"Would you like to stop for breakfast?" Tristan asked.

I glanced at him, but he was watching the road. There was a slight crease on his forehead that betrayed his casual tone.

"We probably shouldn't; it might take a while to get my car going."

"Nah... Not with this baby." He patted the steering wheel of the large four wheel drive.

"Who loaned it to you?"

Tristan shrugged. "Just one of the guys at the shop."

Ah. They all had big, manly cars. That is, if they didn't have a motorcyle like Tristan did. I guess it's a requirement when you work as a mechanic.

I switched my study of the outside world to the man sitting beside me. Tristan was good-looking, there was no denying it. His eyes were like slivers of pale burnished nutshell, reflecting out from his pale, so-slightly olive skin. Rich, messy, dark brown hair that framed an angular face. If those looks had been set on a girl, I might have called them pixie-like. As it was, they were on a masculine frame slightly taller than my brother's. Tristan's arms boasted the muscles of a mechanic who tightened and lifted things all day.

My brother would be over the moon if I'd only go back to Tristan.

"Come on, it's just breakfast with a friend. You've got plenty of time before class."

I felt a twinge inside and looked back out the window - and then I suddenly heard myself murmur, "Okay," while I was still trying to figure out how to say no.

He was always like this. It didn't get better over pancakes. Well, I had pancakes. Tristan had pancakes, hash browns, scrambled eggs, two sausages and a black coffee. I made it all the way to his hash browns before he started in on me again.

"You should leave Duke."

I tried to force my face to remain blank. "No, Tristan."

"Come on, Serenity - " he punctuated his comments by jabbing potato bits at me with his fork - "What kind of relationship is it when you can't even tell the guy where you work?"

I scowled. "That's none of your business."

"It is my business when I get phone calls at one am asking me to pick you up from a strip club."

"You didn't have to come."

"I always come when you call me, Serenity. Does Duke?"

"He would if I did," I said softly.

"I miss you, Serenity."

"No, Tristan."

"Yes, I - "

"Look, if we're going to have this discussion again, I'm going to catch a bus to campus and get my car later." I stood.

He looked crushed. I swear his lower lip trembled slightly. Damn. I sighed and sat down again.

For a little while longer, he ate in silence. The waitress came over and refilled his coffee cup once. She made eyes at him but he was too busy glancing between his eggs and my face. Honestly, I didn't know what to say. If I was nice he thought I was encouraging him. If I wasn't nice, the pain in his eyes made me feel horribly guilty.

Tristan knew me too well. I know he heard about me from Joey, too. Of all the people in my life, Tristan seemed to poke at my insecurities the best - not even my mother could equal him, with her frequent comments about how wonderful Duke is, how long we've been together, how well suited we are, how she can't believe she hasn't seen a ring yet. That poking is why I broke up with Tristan, I guess. Even though his intentions were good.

Or I like to think that they were. Otherwise he was just a clingy asshole, and jaded though I might be feeling, I couldn't bring myself to believe that.

"So... How are your classes going, anyway?"

I felt myself smile unconsciously. There was a safe topic. I opened my mouth to enthuse about them, but was interrupted by the Bride of Frankenstein suddenly lounging next to me in our plastic booth, his arm around my shoulders.

"Hi-ya, Toots." He leaned over and filched one of Tristan's sausages.

This is the part of the cartoon where steam comes out of someone's ears. "What the hell?" Tristan demanded, glaring.

"'Beware, beware, his flashing eyes / his floating hair...' Well, at least your hair isn't half into flight these days, Tristan." He smiled winningly, then turned back to me. "You get home alright last night, then, 'Renny? My brother didn't even recognise you."

"You KNOW this guy?"

"It wasn't until he mentioned the french maid thing that I realised YOU were the waitress he was talking about." Mokuba swallowed the last bite of the sausage and licked his fingers.

Tristan was bright red. It was kind of funny - the sort of thing that once upon a time, I would have called cute.

"And who the hell are you to comment on MY hair, you look like, like..."

"Can I have that other sausage?"

My ambitious breakfast date stood up. He had the same look in his eye that Joey gets when he wants to pound someone. Yeeeeah, that's not so cute.

"Serenity, what the hell is going on?"

I smiled sweetly, ignoring Tristan's outrage. "You remember Mokuba Kaiba, right, Tristan?"

His jaw dropped open. "No way!" He sat back down in surprise.

Mokuba nodded, wolfing down Tristan's remaining food.

Tristan's eyes narrowed. "Well, you still look like a punk version of Marge Simpson with that hair, kid. And didn't anyone tell you it was too early in the morning for leopard print?"

Actually, I added silently, it was two decades too late, but hey... It wasn't as though Mokie looked BAD in that top. He must've been cold by the way it was unbuttoned half way down his abdomen, though. And then there were the leather pants, again. But his hair, at least, wasn't that bad... Marge Simpson had several feet on Mokuba's short style of mohawk.

I spoke up to save Tristan from whatever retort Mokuba was dreaming up. "Well, I didn't recognise you, either! And you didn't say hello to me." Yes, I pouted slightly. Well call me the villain and be done with it.

Mokuba scooched further into the booth, his arm still around my shoulder. He didn't FEEL cold.

"Aww, I figured I might throw you off your game. Plus, you don't want to be associated with the likes of me, do ya?" He batted his eyes at me. Really.

But he had a point. Making friends with the clientele was just plain bad for business. And aside from that, our boss Angela is pretty strict on the waitresses sticking to waiting. We don't need to flirt for big tips, and she doesn't want anyone to think they can get more out of us than liquor. Makes more work for the bouncer.

And anyway, what the hell? Why was Mokuba frequenting strip clubs anyway? _Did _I really want to be hanging out with him?

"He's right, Serenity, he looks like trouble. Do you want to be hanging out with him?"

Thank you, gallant Sir Tristan. I glanced at Mokuba's face. He was still smiling, but it was a taut line. His eyes looked sad. Well, how would you like to be rejected by someone you looked up to as a kid, who was always nice to you? I couldn't stand to see him feel bad. I mean, he's still a couple of years younger than me. All the bravado and... Was he wearing eyeliner?... Didn't entirely mask that. I leaned back into him.

"Tristan's just jealous. I'm working again on Friday night, if you're out on the town."

Mokuba's eyes lit up. I suddenly got the impression I'd just adopted a big, exotic animal that had more money than me. Too spikey for a puppy, of course, but the eyes had about the same effect. He jumped out of his - or was that MY - chair before Tristan could get another grumpy word out.

"Anyway, I was just passing by on my way to work and saw you two through the window. Thanks for breakfast; I'll be seeing you Friday, 'Renny!" he chirped the last part out and waved in a slightly crazed manner, backing out of the cafe.

"I'll be maintaining a professional distance!" I called after him. He didn't seem bothered and he waved again at the door, then tore off down the street.

"Well, you just made someone's day." Tristan was not a happy camper.

"You were being rude to him."

"Serenity, you work in a STRIP CLUB!"

I promptly kicked him under the table. "Thanks for just breaking that news to the rest of the civilised world."

"Look, Mokuba is obviously NOT the same little boy he was. Just look at him! I mean, what was he doing there? And you invited him BACK? So much for your terrible secret."

"...You ARE jealous, aren't you?" I stared.

Tristan opened his mouth then closed it again, sullenly. "I just think if he's hanging around there's no way you're not going to get found out. What if he tells someone? Holy shit, his brother - did he say KAIBA was there?"

Talk about your delayed reaction.

"Serenity, this is really bad. I didn't even know they were back in town; what if he runs into your brother, now? What if he says something? And he's bound to meet up with Duke for business at SOME point. Kaiba would love to rub that in their faces! I can't believe you encouraged him! I thought this was important to you."

I felt like it was my turn to do an impression of a very angry little teapot. "Let's go get my car."

"I mean, you keep saying how you have to be 'independent' - " I could hear the quotation marks, " - and how important it is that Duke doesn't know his girlfriend works in a place like that, and now you're just - "

I sighed and collected my bag and coat. Despite the horrible ending to my parents' marriage, I'd had better role models since, and watching Joey and Mai had once made me think that love came easily. Now I knew better.

As he followed me out of the diner, I tried not to listen to Tristan ramble on about what was best for me in my situation. I'd heard it before, afterall. I didn't really need the track on repeat. He didn't understand how hard it was for me to get a decent job, or why it was important to me that I paid my own way through college. He didn't understand why, if I was going to break up with him and move in with someone with money, I wouldn't let that guy take care of everything for me.

So here we are. Joey wants me to date Tristan. Tristan wants me to date Tristan. Or if not, then date Dukie and let him pay my way through life. Duke wants a perfect, pretty girlfriend he can dangle on his arm as he rises in the corporate world. A respectable girl. Sure, he loves me; my mother wants me to marry Duke. Do I really love him that much?

My job and my classes are the only things I have right now that are mine.

Only two people know about my job, and they disapprove. Even my coworkers looked at me strangely when I started working there. Maybe I'd invited Mokuba to visit me on a whim, but thinking about it, he and his brother had been the only two people so far not to think twice about my current source of funds. Mokuba seemed delighted... The high and mighty Seto Kaiba had not once in the short time he talked to me seemed to look _down _on me simply because I was a waitress in a skimpy french maid outfit.

And I realised, as I climbed back into the confined space of the car with Tristan, that I really wanted to see both of them again, to find out why two apparently eccentric billionaires, practically strangers, with plenty of better things to do... Why they had looked at a desperate, red-headed university student and seen an actual person, when it seemed like no one else in my life could.

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_Major props (I love that stupid phrase) to **Setine **for, as she put it, jrockshipping. Setine (j)rocks. Mokuba is punk. That is final. I love badass Mokuba._

_The Summer Stars: Hentai Mokuba lives in my heart. And my heart will go on, and on. Probably._

_clarity: Yeah... Plot... It has one!_

_hakubaikou-chan: Hopefully it'll have a strong continuation. More serious drama/comedy isn't quite my forté. Give me characters and I automatically spin out screwball. ;)_

_Sangha: Well okay, then. :salutes you:_

_SerenityMeowth: Mokuba is everywhere you wanna be, baby._

_a song for jeffrey: Mokuba has to be amusing. It makes up for Kaiba's lack of wackiness. Though he is wacky in his own way. Bless him. (No, I'm not discussing characters as if they're real. Ahaha.)_

_You all rule the school, so I updated instead of studying for exams. To anyone who can place that line of poetry... Uh, do you want to take my Romantics exam for me?_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Little Star**_

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_In which Mokuba is the fairy godmother figure, and I perhaps slipped a little too far into comedy. _

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**Chapter Three.**

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_12 o'clock._

As far as Fridays went at Les Femmes Fatales, it was crazy. There was a bachelor party going on in our largest private room which, thankfully, I was not working. The stools were crowded around the bar at one end of the club, and the three catwalks at the other. The three large booths at the wall furthest from the entrance, the ones used for big groups, were teeming with college boys - thank god, no one I recognised. Business men happy to send off the working week crowded the tables in the centre floor.

We were packed. There was actually a queue outside the door. I guess I can take comfort in the fact that if I work in a strip club at all, at least I work in a classy place. The girls were friendly. More than one, like me, was trying to work her way through college. Some were solo mothers. Some wanted dancing careers. Some just liked the attention. None of them did any more than strip, and most of the stripping was reasonably tasteful. No one was walking around in just their birthday suits, and no one was doing anything more than getting naked.

Or to be blunt, we have a strict No Whores policy.

It was a place for rich dads to take their sons when celebrating their transition into manhood, god help us all. A comfortable, non-offensive, almost family environment, and I was right in the middle of it in high heel shoes that were arching my feet in a very uncomfortable manner, but did wonders to accentuate my calf muscles, clad, as they were, in high, sheer pantihose.

I was spinning away from the bar with a tray full of full beer bottles when the main entrance flew open - something it hadn't done it about an hour. On his last break fifteen minutes ago, Maurice the bouncer, a giant man who didn't need to bother carrying a gun, had told me there were still plenty of eager gentlemen waiting out there to patronise our fine establishment. However, we couldn't let them in until some of our current customers ran out of money and crawled home, and so far, the cash was still flowing about as hard and fast as the alcohol was. Whatever space we had left was emergency VIP space. Sorry, anyone who is in my communications and culture class, but you're stuck in the cold in case someone socially important shows up.

That is, of course, how I knew when the doors flew open that someone fitting that description must have been making an entrance. So did everyone else, and heads turned away even from Chibi, who was bending her body around the pole on the centre stage in a way that probably should have been impossible.

And it was, of course, Mokuba Kaiba. Not just Mokuba. Mokuba and Mokuba's entourage, though they were sort of hidden behind him. He stood in the doorway, checking what space was available, and I think even Chibi hesitated in her contortionism.

I really was going to have to ask him about leather. I'd think they were his only pants, except these ones were obviously not the same pair I'd seen him in previously. They were slit the entire way from hem to hip, only held together at intervals by leather ties that dangled down where the outside seam should have been. From underneath a black suit jacket, I glimpsed a sheer grey top like a sprinkling of glitter over his chest.

Mokuba tipped forward his black-banded, grey fedora-style hat and stepped into the room with a flourish.

I told you we were a stylish place.

The rest of the room seemed to give a collective eye-roll and go back to their hollering, drinking, chatting and stripping. Mokuba winked at me as he walked past, at which point I remembered table four was expecting their drinks. I plastered my work smile on and waited for his friends to finish crossing in front of me so I could deliver my trayload. It turned into a genuine smile as the thought flitted through my brain - I tried to quash it, honestly - that perhaps no one had told our newest arrivals about the No Whores thing. They went past me in a flutter of feathers and sequins.

In my peripheral vision, as the happy men in suits at table four received their beers and tipped me despite the delay in service, I saw Angela ejecting nine college boys from booth three to make way for our newer, more colourful patrons.

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_2 o'clock._

I was wrestling with our very stubborn coffee machine when the boss tapped me on the shoulder. When I turned, I saw she had a frown on her face and a paper napkin in her hand. "Mr Moneybags over there wanted me to give you this."

I glanced over to where Mokuba's partners in crime were happily stuffing garters with bills. The denominations, apparently, were a lot higher than a dollar. Mokuba was sitting somewhat aloof in the centre, though he promptly blew a kiss at Angela and me. I took the paper off her, unfolded it, and quickly scanned its contents.

_Dear Hot Waitress,  
__Let's elope to Mexico, or at least go party somewhere else. I don't need to fake a kidnapping to get you out of here, do I? 'Cause I'll do it. Just for you.  
__- M._

Angela's lips were still pursed in motherly disapproval, so I tried not to giggle. "I'm sorry, Serenity, but with such an important customer I had to give it to you. I will of course tell him that you respectfully decline."

I blinked. Angela appeared to be under the impression Mokuba was making an offer I would be tempted not to refuse. "Uh..." I concentrated on pouring the frothy milk on the top of my two cappuccinos. "...Actually, I kind of know him," I admitted.

"Is that a fact." Oh, that crease in her forehead had to be a bad sign. "You know that generally I don't like people inviting their friends in, Serenity."

Ah, right. "I know, I'm sorry! He just got back in town and, uh..." I trailed off, giving her my best I Don't Know Any Better Aren't I So Cute You Just Wanna Hug Me And Buy Me The New Gackt CD eyes.

Angela suddenly grinned, both relieved and amused, I think. "Honey, if any more of your 'acquaintances' have that much money to spare, you bring 'em all in for one big party. Kiki alone has made over three grand off those guys! She's in the staffroom singing about her kid's college fund."

I loaded my cappuccinos onto a tray with saucers, napkins, spoons and sugar. "Sorry, no others spring to mind right now."

Angela laughed. "So, let me guess: if he wasn't hitting on you from afar, he must be waiting around for you to finish work."

I raised my eyebrows and smiled hopefully. "Probably."

She sighed exaggeratedly. "Get outta here, then, and take your money - I mean, friend - with you."

"Really?"

"Yes, go on."

"Thank you!" I grinned. On the one hand, I needed the money, but on the other I would get to stop serving drinks, on my feet that were killing me, to guys who were now too drunk to politely mask their oggling. "I'll just deliver these coffees, first."

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_7 minutes past 2._

When I came out from the back with my coat and purse, Mokuba stood up. His little group immediately protested, but without looking back he tossed a rather large wad of cash over his shoulder at them, grabbed my elbow, and steered me across the room.

"You're leaving work with me. Your reputation is now officially besmirched, Ms Wheeler." He held the door for me.

"...What about your other friends?"

"Oh, I only met them tonight."

I blinked and was ushered outside.

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_10 minutes past 2._

"...You bought me SHOES?" My disbelief was evident in my voice.

"Hell yes, you need some boots for that little outfit there." He wiggled his eyebrows. Mokuba was beginning to kind of scare me.

Boots, indeed. Black leather, knee high and covered in straps and buckles.

"...You didn't get these out of your brother's wardrobe, did you?"

Mokuba snorted. "No, they're not quite THAT bad. You just needed a little punking up. Trust me, they'll look great with your uniform. Now it's time to hit the town."

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_5 o'clock._

"It's not a BAD place to work. They're nice people. It's just not..." I sighed.

"So why don't you work somewhere else?"

I sighed again. "You try getting a job at college age with no experience. One close to home, and to campus, with a manager willing to bend the hours."

Mokuba poured more coke into a champagne flute for me. I'd definitely had enough to drink, alcohol-wise. Now he was loading me up on sugar. I paused to wonder where the glass had come from, anyway. Probably that basement nightclub we went running out of before that huge, sumo-contender guy with the mullet could pound Mokuba for insinuating his also rather large and tattooed companion was his lover.

"It can't have been your only option."

"Aww, shuddup. Anyway, why were YOU there? Don't tell me you have trouble getting girlfriends."

"I don't have girlfriends. I have golddiggers and scary, fake, gravity-defying boobs."

I giggled. "...That's not very nice."

"No, really, the first time was because Seto kept saying if I kept wearing nailpolish to work he was going to call me Mokubella and tell the media I was getting a sex change."

I almost choked on my coke. It fizzed in my nose; I think I gurgled.

"And obviously the second time was because this totally foxy redhead who I could tell wanted my hot body invited me there."

I was about to lose it.

"...Mokuba?"

I blinked and twisted my head around.

"'Morning, big brother!" the Kaiba in question said, cheerfully.

Seto Kaiba was standing over us. "...What are you doing in a park at five in the morning?"

"What are YOU doing here? You DID get a GPS tracking chip installed in my neck, didn't you?" Mokuba stood. I remained lying on the grass.

"Those are for dogs."

"You think I'm a dog?" Mokuba put one hand to his forehead. "My own brother!"

"Honestly, Mokuba, you - " He sounded exasperated. It was kind of funny. I giggled again and the tower of Kaiba bent down over me. "...Corrupting decent people again, I see?"

"Hi, Seto Kaiba," I heard myself say. Uh oh. There were little lights in my head flashing, _Shut up, Serenity! _"Thanks for letting me use your phone... Before... Can I feel your biceps?"

He raised an eyebrow.

Mokuba cracked up. "Okay, we'd better take her home," he managed to get out between the gasps for air.

"I bet Duke's biceps are smaller than yours." Okay, that definitely should have been in my head. Bad mouth, bad. Now say something normal: you're right, home sounds like a good idea. "At least I didn't mention his private parts!"

Mokuba almost fell over. Kaiba knelt down and somehow managed to scoop me up.

_

* * *

_

_45 past 5._

I was walking towards me and Duke's apartment complex. I only vaguely remembered falling asleep on Mokuba's shoulder in the car. He was walking me to my door. It was almost like a date, if by 'date' you meant 'outing with an insane leprechaun who was making sure you could walk on your own.' Which I could.

No thanks to those margaritas.

"So, little rebel," Mokuba was saying, "You said somewhere in there that you were majoring in both media and business?"

I nodded.

"Excellent. You'd better let me know your available hours, then."

"...What?" My brief nap on the ride home had sobered me slightly, but not enough to keep me from being confused at that.

"Sounds like the exact qualifications I could use. I'm hiring, you know."

"...For KaibaCorp?"

"No. Remember, I said Seto wanted me to stop wearing nail polish to work? I just stopped working there."

I blinked.

"I'll take your silence as an acceptance of the offer..." We reached the door.

"Duke wanted me to be his secretary."

Mokuba stared at me.

"It was either that or the strip club." No, this wasn't the alcohol talking. Well, maybe a little. "Work for my rich boyfriend in high heels and a little black skirt and bring him coffee, or bring total strangers beer in a degrading uniform."

"Oh, don't worry, there'll still be a degrading uniform involved," Mokuba said lightly, and handed me my coat back. "I'll have my people call your people and set it up."

"You don't know my number."

"I'm a Kaiba." He shrugged and started to walk back to the car. The sun was coming up. From inside his rather swanky, dark blue car, Seto Kaiba was looking at me thoughtfully.

Oh, shit. I turned to go inside, suddenly realising that Duke would be waking up and wondering why the hell I hadn't come home last night. Or at least called. It had been fun to let Mokuba lead me across the city, but I still wasn't any closer to figuring either him or his brother out. Let alone myself.

I was in big trouble.

* * *

_Setine - Mokuba is kind of stealing the scene in all my stories at the moment. I blame my current Myv obsession. And you for associating the two._

_The Summer Stars - I hope this is soon enough for you. Lord knows nothing else of mine is getting updated, and this is getting the least reviews. ;)_

_Clarity - thank you for your constructive criticism, it's always appreciated; I think I fixed that paragraph. I always revise my content, these days, but am a bit lazy over the technical bits... :$_

_SerenityMeowth - it's his super power._

_DreamerzAngel - glad you liked the first two chapters, and hopefully this one too._

_Gelap Gelita - I WILL update BYB soon... Thanks for reading. :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Little Star**_

* * *

**Chapter Four.**

* * *

"I'm surprised you're out of bed."

"Unless you have painkillers on you, shut up." Nausea and a headache give me a spine.

Surprisingly, Kaiba – Seto Kaiba – reached inside of his suit jacket, extracted a thin leather wallet, and with his elegant fingers drew out of that a small foil packet. He tucked the wallet back inside with one hand and tossed the packet at me with the other.

It was so unexpected that small glint of silver almost went over the balcony I was leaning against. I'm not the best at catching things even in my good moments, let alone when I have a glass of sprite in one hand. "You are a lifesaver."

"They're only ibuprofen."

I quickly popped out the two little white tablets and downed them with my drink. "Anyway, if I didn't get out of bed, this two thousand dollar dress he bought would have been sitting forlornly in the wardrobe."

I bit the inside of my cheek. Not a spine. They turned me into a bitch. Though sometimes it can be the same thing, I suppose.

Kaiba's expression didn't even flicker. He turned and leaned with his back against the carved marble edge of the balcony, slouching, propping himself up with his hands. He stared into the ballroom I had my back to.

We stood like that for a few moments, in silence. I watched the cars and their bright headlights going up and down the street. They moved like points of light on a long, wriggling caterpillar. He watched the dancers in the ballroom, probably fluttering as I had last seen them in their bright dresses, making light-hearted comments - hoping to impress whoever they were commenting to.

"He's still schmoozing that software developer."

I glanced sideways at Kaiba's profile, pale and glowing in the darkness, like it managed to absorb all of the lights that leaked from inside. Was he trying to reassure me that Duke hadn't noticed my absence?

"I'm sorry about last night," I said, eventually.

"I'm sure you are," he said, looking down at me. He seemed amused. Seto Kaiba, laughing at my expense. Well, laughing inside. The outside didn't show more than a quirk of those pout-ready lips.

"You know what I mean."

"I'm sure it was Mokuba's fault to begin with."

My forehead creased. "You sound sure about a lot of things. Actually, I was the one who invited him to work."

"Mokuba in the workplace can be extremely hazardous," he said solemnly.

I laughed softly and he looked away, back into the ballroom, as if he was surprised I'd actually found him funny.

I shook my head. "I should have guessed you'd be here."

"Yes, well, my deep emotional attachment to the crusade against deep-sea net trawling is well-publicised."

I think I sprained something down inside to prevent myself from bursting out laughing, for two reasons. Firstly, because laughing at Kaiba's stoic media persona might offend him. Secondly, I ain't no twittering fangirl; I didn't have to laugh nervously at everything he said. Anyway, I wasn't sure if he was only so funny because my head and stomach were both still swimming – lovely, synchronised patterns. Anything to distract myself.

"Working yet?"

"…Sorry?"

"The painkillers," he said patiently.

"Oh. Nope."

"You could always try some of the vodka punch, instead."

I took a deep breath. "If you mention any kind of alcoholic beverage again, I think I'll be sick." Here I had been thinking maybe he wasn't pure evil.

"We do seem to be crossing paths a lot lately." Kaiba pushed off the balcony and stood facing me.

"I'm not stalking you," I assured him. "I would have been facing the executioner's block if I hadn't come."

"Yes, well, you _are_ photogenic." He stared at me.

I couldn't tell if was a compliment or an insult, or both. He had practically just called me a trophy girlfriend, but there was no hidden tone to his voice. It was husky and honest.

I toyed with the straw in my glass – now empty. "I did owe him…"

"Why?" Kaiba said, his tone surprisingly aggressive. "Because he bought you a dress?"

His face was blank, but I'd wager mine wasn't. I think it was wide-eyed and glaring.

"No! Because I stayed out all night and didn't call him!"

"Did he wait up for you?"

"No."

"Did he call your phone?"

"No."

Somehow Kaiba had gotten closer to me. He was standing looking down into my eyes. I placed one hand over my stomach, uneasily.

"Did he even notice you weren't there, before he woke up to go to work?"

"What's your problem?" I shouted suddenly.

His reply was awfully calm in contrast. "I want to know why you're doing with my brother."

I blinked. "…What?"

He stared at me, almost impassive, a hint of blue fire steadily burning behind his eyes.

I began to blush for no reason other than his scrutiny. Then an idea occurred to me. My jaw dropped and flapped for a moment. "I already have someone to buy me ridiculous dresses that cost as much as my tuition, Kaiba!"

I tried to flee but he was standing in the way. I brushed against his jacket - it smelled like cinnamon. He grabbed my arm.

"Let go!"

"I apologise."

"I said let GO!" I yanked my arm, almost wrenching it out of its socket rather than his hand.

My head throbbed from the shouting.

He stiffened and slowly released me. I looked up – the other ball-goers were staring at our balcony. All three hundred of them, including the one photographer with exclusive rights to the charity gala. He was now furiously snapping his shutter release, looking far more excited than he had earlier shooting me, Duke and the benefit's organiser.

Ah yes. My date. He pushed through the crowd in his black suit. The blood red colour of his shirt suddenly seemed to leap forward, ominous, and I shrank slightly. Duke's eyes were furious and green.

"Serenity?" he said, his voice much calmer than he looked.

"I'm sorry," I stammered, hating myself for it. "We were just talking."

He bit his lip and I knew he was actually biting down on some very unhappy words. Probably along the lines of _This guy brings you home at six am and now you're grappling with him on a dark secluded balcony and shouting in front of photographers! What are you _thinking_, Serenity?_ They were the words I was shouting at myself, inside.

Duke swallowed, then flashed a white-toothed smile at the room. "Hey, you know what they say about a redhead's temper."

A few people giggled. The tension seemed about to dissipate, gawkers almost ready to go back to their own conversations, when he offered a long flute to me. "Here," he said amiably. "I bought you a glass of champagne, sweetheart."

My stomach lurched. I had time to mutter, "Ohmygod," before my hands flew to my mouth, and I flew past him, my dress billowing – knocking the glass he held, in the process. From the corner of my eye, I saw the champagne arch onto his shirt – as I ran I heard the glass shatteron the floor.

Like a very sick Cinderella, I traversed the large hall in seconds and launched myself into the ladies' room.

* * *

I don't know how long I'd been sitting in the cubicle with my forehead pressed against the clean, cool partition wall. I'd been huddled on the floor for a long time with the jade green skirts of my dress pooled around me. I listened to the women come in and out, chattering and fixing their already-flawless make up.

Every time I thought about standing up and trying to regain my dignity, the fabric of my dress reminded me of Duke's eyes. Just remembering about how angry they'd looked made me feel a little queasy.

But my stomach felt better when it was empty – even my head began to feel better, after a while, although certainly not due to the painkillers - they hadn't had enough time to be digested. It wasn't really the hangover that kept me in there. It was the thought of walking back out where several hundred people could whisper about me as I walked past, and assess me - and one of them with a camera could try to turn his little photo spread into a narrative with a nice 'after' shot for its conclusion.

The lush bathroom wasn't a bad place to hang out. Complete with ornate gilded mirrors and maroon velvet seats – a vaguely French ornamental style, too opulent, yet comforting; like being enveloped by some kind of extravagant bower. I didn't even mind sitting where I was; it was immaculate. Certainly better than the alternative.

It wasn't Duke that came to find me.

The women outside my door shrieked and I heard their high heels tapping across the floor like the rat-tat-tat of tiny, ineffectual guns. Then there was only one set of heavy footsteps. The chunky soles of a pair of boots, almost masked by long formal pants, appeared at the bottom of my door.

It swung open. I stared stubbornly at his shoes.

Unfortunately, Kaiba thwarted my plan by crouching down. "Your boyfriend left."

I sighed, and met his blue gaze. "You're not supposed to be in here."

"Well, someone had to tell you to stop waiting for him to come and rescue you."

"I'm not," I snapped.

"I see. And exactly what are you doing in here?"

I felt my jaw stubbornly set itself.

"Did you plan to hide until morning?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" I countered. "Did you decide to come and rescue me instead? Do you have some kind of hero complex that drives you to repeatedly bail me out of things?" My tone was biting.

He stood. He was a tower in a black suit. I squinted up at him.

"If you must know, I came to apologise."

"You did that already."

"I don't recall you accepting."

I sighed. "Fine, apology accepted. You can go away now."

He remained standing in front of me. I pushed myself off the ground and waited for him to step aside. He did, and I walked out of my small rectangular safebox.

"Coulda offered me a hand up."

"You didn't need one," he observed dryly.

"You know what, Kaiba – " I saw his face reflected in the mirror. Its expression was too smug.

"What?"

I stopped to fix one of the pins that had come loose in my red hair, tucking a stray curl back into the high bunch.

Then I matched his gaze once more. "If you want to hang out with your brother, maybe you should do more than just WORK with him, and not waste your time accusing me of luring him away for the sake of your precious money."

An open look of surprise blossomed onto his face. It gave me the courage to continue.

"For your information, I happen to LOVE my boyfriend and I don't ASK him to buy me things, he does it because he wants me to look nice and he's very busy so he needs his sleep!"

It came out more rushed than I'd intended. It came out less confident that I'd intended.

"You – "

"And if I was hanging out with your brother on one single night it's because he's a nice guy and he seemed lonely and so was – "

I was flushed again. I waited for the inevitable consequences of my outburst. Nothing seemed to be happening, so I bent over the sink and splashed my face with water, trying to calm down. No horrifying wrath descending upon me while that happened.

I dried my face on one of the soft towels provided. Still nothing. I looked back up.

Kaiba didn't seem angry. He had a thoughtful expression on his face. It merely served to reinforce the secret theory of my teenage years: that he had somehow deprogrammed himself of real human emotion. (Of course, teenage me also secretly told myself that the one emotion he had left behind was a lust for redheads. _Oh Serenity, your firey hair has reawakened my cold, dead soul!_)

The faucet behind me was dripping. I hadn't turned it the whole way off.

I don't think anyone can figure that man out. If I'd somehow hit a sore spot, it was more due to anger and luck than any psychological analysis. I already felt bad for saying it –maybe the perky, optimistic Serenity isn't entirely gone.

"I'll give you a ride home."

Is it possible that everyone else out there is just as messed up as me?

"Okay."

I silenced the noisy tap, and met Kaiba at the door to the ladies' room. To my surprise, he guided me out in front of him, his hand touching lightly on the small of my back as I passed him.

In that moment, he murmured something: "Who would tell you that you needed an expensive dress to look good?"

A peace offering, maybe. Or perhaps the cynical bastard just prefers tacky French maid outfits.

* * *

_AN: Blah? Serenity seems entirely OOC in this chapter, huh? But there are reasons for her being the way she is (other than extreme hang-overedness) which hopefully will come through as my story goes along – speaking of which, sorry for the delay. No promises about the speediness of the next chapter. To those who read and reviewed the last one, I adore you. Hope you can live with the angst in here rather than the hijinks of the last chappy. _


	5. Chapter 5

**Little Star**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Five**

* * *

My cellphone rang in class. I should have had it on silent, of course, because there's nothing more embarrassing then interrupting a lecture about gender constructions in the media with your annoying ringtone. Especially if your lecturer happens to be Dr Eastham, because he'll launch into a fifteen minute tirade about the demands of modern technology and that Alexander Graham Bell hated the telephone and how we've all sunk into a quagmire of confused priorities and are slaves to the demands of machines.

And then the other hundred people in the class will hate you for putting them through that _yet again_.

It wasn't silenced because I just plain forgot. Or maybe subconsciously I was hoping it would ring - Duke hadn't spoken to me since Saturday night. It made sharing a bed difficult.

I scrabbled around in my bag, muttering, "Sorry, I'm so sorry," to the rest of the room. The number wasn't one I recognised. The phone was buzzing and beeping in my hand. Naturally, with the entire class staring at me, I felt someone flustered – so instead of hanging it up, I answered it.

"…Hello?" I whispered.

"HELLO?" shouted back at me.

"Hello!" I whispered again, urgently.

"…Yo, are you there?"

"I'm here…"

People glared. Why? Why was I doomed to go through life with rooms full of people glaring at me? Curse the genes that created me and my brother's brains…

"Helloooo? I can't hear you, I'm going to hang up."

"Hello!" I said loudly, and stood.

People began to mutter.

"I'm sorry!" I called, at no one in particular. I pushed out past the row of my fellow students, who all looked somewhat disgruntled.

"Hey, no need to apologise, Dollface, I can hear you just fine now."

"…Mokuba?" I hissed indignantly.

"Who else would it be?"

"You got me there," I muttered.

By now I was at the front of the room. The lecturer extended a hand in my direction, waving at me as I walked past. "I'll talk to you later, Ms Wheeler," he said, sternly.

"I'm sorry, Dr Eastham! It's an emergency."

"Boyfriends do not constitute emergencies," he stated dryly. The class twittered.

I felt my face flush, and then I crashed out the doors. Given the circumstances, my boyfriend would have been preferable.

"…'Renny? Are you still there?" a voice was saying in my ear.

"I was in class, Mokuba!" I walked a little away from the closed doors of the lecture hall.

I could practically hear him shrug over the line. "Well, why'd you answer your phone, then?"

I groaned. "This had better be important, brat."

"Ouch, Serenity. Way harsh. You've wounded my dignity. I'm considering not hiring you, now. I'll find someone else to be my personal French maid, though of course, they won't be nearly as sexy without your red hair."

I laughed involuntarily. "What _are_ you talking about?" I leaned against the wall, trying to keep my voice down. I was still inside, afteral, and classes were going on around me.

"Everything you say is making me reconsider my offer. How organised can someone be if they don't remember being given a job?" His voice was gentle and teasing. He was clearly trying to cheer me up by driving me clinically insane.

"Right, a job. It's all coming back to me. The six am drunken escort to my front door."

"You were drunk at six am? First Friday, then Saturday, and now today, when you had school! I think maybe you have a drinking problem, 'Renny."

"Mokuba!" I screamed.

A moment later, someone poked their head out of the classroom door opposite me, with a somewhat concerned expression on their face. I smiled brightly at them.

"Right, anyway, meet me for lunch?"

"…It's almost three in the afternoon."

"Well, I just woke up!" he pleaded.

I stared at my foot, scuffing the carpet. "I don't think I should, I have a lot of reading to do, and Duke…"

"What? He's mad at you after you after the weekend?"

"…What did you hear about it?"

"Just the part that was on the news. 'And this morning's entertainment headline: No more Mr Dice Guy?' Those news types are so witty."

I groaned again. "Yes, he's mad."

"But luuuuuuunch!" Mokuba whined. "I'll waste awaaaaaay without foooood."

"And I'm supposed to have dinner at Joey and Mai's tonight!"

"Why Serenity, it's so nice of you to invite me along; you're right, dinner would be much better than lunch!"

I hung my head. "I'm beginning to regret I was ever nice to you."

"I sense the bitter tone of defeat in your voice, thus, I shall pick you up from outside the campus bookstore in about half an hour."

A dial tone suddenly encountered my ear. I walked back to the class and tried to discreetly re-enter. Unfortunately, as I slowly cracked open the door, my phone began to ring again. I slammed the door in front of a stunned and outraged Dr Eastham.

At least the screen showed that it was someone I knew this time. "Hello, Tristan…"

* * *

"Basically, it's simple," Mokuba said, as I climbed into his car. It was a silver Ferrari. Some taxi service. Lucky me - or so I thought, until he swerved out from the curb and sped down the university road towards the freeway on-ramp. I clutched at the end of my seat.

"Um… How long have you been driving?"

"Since I was fourteen; now don't interrupt."

I shut my eyes as we shot onto the motorway. "That's not even legal…" I squeezed out.

"Basically, I'm starting a television station."

"You're what?" I opened my eyes again, which as a mistake, because I got to watch as Mokuba changed lanes and squeezed his tiny car in between two large trucks. "I'm going to be a pancake…"

"Me 'what?'? You're the one babbling about breakfast foods! Look," Mokuba wrenched the wheel, "I'm starting up tv channel which is going to consist of shows about things I think are cool, and I could use a foxy young college girl to help me run the thing. …You can open your eyes again now, we're in front of all the other cars."

"So… You want me to do what now?"

"I don't know, how does vice president sound?"

"I'm going to have a heart attack."

"Are you sure your major isn't in drama?"

"I'm flattered, but I can't help you run a company, Mokuba; classes keep me busy enough!"

He switched on the car's cd player. Bass started to reverberate in my stomach. I don't think there was any possible way I could have felt more like an endangered species. And I never made up with Duke before I died…

"Yeah, that was a joke, mostly."

"Mostly?"

"So I know you didn't want to be your boyfriend's personal assistant, but I promise I won't try to get any nookie from you during work hours."

"Mokuba!"

"Fine, I promise I'll _try_ not to try to get some nookie - but I can't make any promises."

I sunk down into the soft leather chair, my knuckles and fingerjoints still white, squeezing its edge. Maybe it would just be easier if I died then and there, afterall.

The car stopped at a red light. I considered flinging myself out of the passenger door and into the safety of the busy road.

"Okay, I'll be serious for a moment." He looked serious, too. His lips didn't have the usual quirk at the edges, and I could see his eyes properly; his dark blue and white hair was pushed back off his face, today, with the pair of large black sunglasses that were sitting on top of his head. "I really need someone who will come to work and take me seriously. I'm not as bossy or as charismatic as Seto, and it's hard to get people to do what an eighteen year old says without having to answer a million of their questions, first."

It didn't seem to warrant a response from me, yet.

"I need to have someone around that will hopefully set an example for everyone else."

The light changed and I left my stomach about ten metres behind me. Alas, poor stomach, I knew you well…

"So you want me to do… What?" I was beginning to resign myself to the fact that my fate was to be perpetually confused by life.

"Come to work a few days a week, be my personal advisor and assistant – we'll have loads of fun and I'll pay you more than you make in tips and maybe if you treat me like I'm the boss when we're in public some of it will rub off on my other employees," he blurted out. He sounded nervous – maybe he wasn't just an evil, spikey-haired demon, afterall.

I frowned, and not just because we'd narrowly missed a cyclist. "Look, Mokuba, I really appreciate the offer, but I turned down Duke because I need to be independent. I don't want to take advantage of you."

"Oh please, Serenity - take advantage of me! All night long, if you have to!"

If he hadn't been driving a vehicle, I would have hit him. Of course, 'driving' seemed to be loosely applied to the situation anyway, but why make it even worse?

"I mean it!"

"You're not taking advantage of me, honest. I need you. I'll die without you. I can't live without your personal assistance!"

I sighed.

"If anything, I'm taking advantage of you, forcing you to become a hot young thing that will publicly worship me."

"Okay, okay, I'll think about it!"

The car stopped again. I don't mean it gradually drew to halt. I mean, one second we were speeding down the road, and the next we were just… Stopped. I was afraid to believe I wasn't dead. There was just no way that we'd made the hour drive from campus to Joey's house in twenty minutes.

Yet there we were.

"Pleeeease."

"Do you always get your way when you whine?" I opened my car door, still in a state of shock.

"Usually."

"Well, I'm not your brother – who, by the way, doesn't seem to want me to spend time with you, so…"

"Ah yes, did I mention that you should do it for my brother? Otherwise he'll lose money and look bad! And worst of all, if I don't succeed, he'll have to put up with me at KaibaCorp again."

I shut the car door on Mokuba's big, round eyes, and headed towards Mai and Joey's apartment building. For better or for worse, Mokuba made it only a few footsteps behind.

I pushed the buzzer. "Hellooo?"

"You're early! Come on up!" Mai's voice rang happily through the small box.

The door buzzed and Mokuba charged through, gallantly holding it open for me. Now that he was out of the car I could see he was wearing, hallelujah, not leather pants but nice, normal jeans. It would have been nice if his light blue shirt was actually buttoned, but I guess I couldn't ask for another miracle. I was still alive after the Ferrari ride of death, afterall.

I shook my head and pushed the button again. "Hey, guys, a word of warning: I've brought company."

* * *

_AN... Oh my gawd – I updated in timely fashion. Could I be back in the business? Don't hold your breath. Anyway, I hope this story seems like it's going somewhere to you guys. Because it is. Or it's going to be going somewhere. I think it might end up kinda long… Much, muchlove to reviewers._


	6. Chapter 6

**Little Star**

-

-

**Chapter Six.**

-

-

"Serenity!" My brother burst out of the door to his apartment, arms wide, ready to give me the usual hug hello. Unfortunately, Mokuba had been the one doing a slightly spastic knock on the door, so Joey nearly ran him down.

I stood on tiptoe to wave over Mokuba's shoulder. "Hi, Joey."

Joey looked the younger Kaiba brother up and down, and then frowned. "What the hell? Serenity, you didn't really break up with Duke, did you?"

"What?"

My tactful brother ran a hand through his shaggy hair – it needed trimming, as usual. "Isn't he a little young for you? …And where are his shoes?"

I blinked and looked down. Mokuba was barefoot.

"Joey!" Mai shouted from inside the apartment. She stuck her head out of the kitchenette. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"…What?" Joey said, glancing between her and Mokuba – and at the latter with a slight scowl. "What'd I say?"

"Just invite them in, would you?" Mai's floating head disappeared again.

"Oh, yeah, come in… She's cooking… Something… good." Joey stepped backwards, holding the door for me and Mokuba. "Sorry, Serenity, but I saw the news… Hey, you must take after me! Giving Kaiba a piece of your mind like that! I'm so proud…" Joey joked, one hand over his heart.

It must have been one of his slower days. Honestly. Believe it or not, my brother can be smart, but his smarts aren't always connected to his mouth. In fact, they're frequently disconnected.

Almost permanently, one might say.

Okay, Joey is a LITTLE dumb about most things. But who isn't?

Mokuba didn't seem bothered by Joey's attitude, but I mouthed the word 'sorry' at him as Joey shut the door, anyway. The barefoot hellion was looking around the room with some curiosity. Mai had somehow managed to take Joey's Duel Monsters and sports junk and still make the place look stylish.

He picked up a photograph. "Actually, I'm Serenity's new employer. Is this Paris?"

Joey squinted and walked over to him. "Yeah, Mai an' me were there for a tournament in… What? Employer? You - " My brother did a long double take. "…Holy shit, Mokuba?"

Mokuba grinned. "That's me."

Joey immediately leaned over and gave him a clip across the head, then pulled the shorter male into a one-armed hug. "I haven't seen you since… Since…"

"A long time?"

"Maaaaaaaai, it's Mokuuubaaaaaaaa!" Joey shouted, turning his head only slightly so most of his lungpower went into Mokuba's ear.

This time Mai walked out of the kitchen, threatening Joey with a wooden spoon. "Gee, you don't say? Get them a drink!"

She was always like this when I came over. Surprisingly, Mai loves to play hostess. I think she gets a kick out of having a permanent, comfortable home with my brother. If they'd had a baby, they would have been the perfect family. As it was, they had a cat named Mr Tibbly, and he hated me.

Just thinking about him made me look around the room to make sure he wasn't within scratching distance.

"Tristan was just telling me that he'd seen you in town. And that you got weird."

Mokuba pouted, his lip ring sticking out rather prominently. "Weird?"

I decided to head for the kitchen before the inevitable happened. What the inevitable was, exactly, I wasn't sure, but I had a sinking feeling about it all the same. It seemed like bringing a walking, eighteen year old sex symbol to my older brother's for dinner had to be a bad idea. Especially when said symbol was not only brother to your brother's old mortal enemy, but also attempting to employ you.

"Hey Mai, what's - " I stopped. Doom was not in the living room with a punk kid billionaire and Joey. Doom was in the kitchen with Mai, and he was (for some reason) wearing her frilly purple apron, standing at the stove.

"Hi Serenity." Tristan smiled at me amiably.

I tried to figure out what he was doing here. "Hi… Tristan… This is a surprise." I'd just been talking to him, afterall. I'd just been telling him I was going to dinner at Joey's. Ah. Joey: 'Tristan was just telling me.' Not 'Tristan was just telling me the other day.' Oh no. 'Tristan was just telling me as he was standing in the kitchen making linguini.' Perfect.

"Serenity!" Mai enveloped me in a perfumed hug, then held me back at an arm's length to scrutinise my face. "You look tired."

"Ah, I've been busy?"

Mai glanced out the door into the living room. "I can see that."

To my very extreme horror, I felt my face begin to go red. "What?"

"Screaming at one Kaiba, throwing wine on your boyfriend, bringing another Kaiba to dinner…"

Mai hugged me again. "Tell me later," she whispered in my ear. I liked hugging Mai. I don't really do that whole girl-hug-hello thing, and with Mai it's a little awkward since she's so much taller than me. But she and Joey had been together so long, she was well on the way to becoming a sister. And Mai was always so confident, I felt like when she hugged me a little bit of it might rub off each time. She was a reassuring person to be around.

"Hey Serenity, can you please pass me the cheese?" Tristan asked, with more hope than cheese seemed to warrant.

I broke away from the embrace and walked over to the fridge. It was usually either completely decimated, or it had every inch packed out with food, depending on if Joey had been near it that day. Today it was full. I rummaged around a bit.

"This is a surprise." I smiled, trying to be polite and not yell at him for catching me by surprise.

Tristan smiled back. He always smiled back. "Yeah, I was actually here already when I called you, we just wanted to see how far away you were. You got here a lot faster than we anticipated, though."

"So would you if you were travelling with Speed Racer."

"Huh?"

"Mokuba gave me a ride."

And just like that, Tristan stopped smiling. "Oh, he is here?"

"Didn't you hear Joey's squawking?" Mai butted in.

"I was cooking," Tristan replied. He didn't seem to see anything funny in that, though I saw Mai suppress a smile as she turned away from him to rummage for some rosemary in the cupboard.

That was what he was like, though. I knew well enough. Whatever Tristan was doing had his full attention, usually to the exclusion of all else. I suppressed a sigh. The day had not been great before I was humiliated in class and faced death on the drive here – every day got off to a bad start when your boyfriend climbed out of bed, showered, dressed, ate his breakfast alone, and then went off to work without talking to you.

I wasn't grumpy, really. I was just in one of those moods where it's easy to focus on the bad points of bad things. Tristan wasn't really a bad thing. He was a good guy, and he tried to be a good friend to me. He just reminded me of bad things.

So many hang ups. I shook my head, trying to clear it.

"Oh!" Mai exclaimed. "Joey!" she shouted through the doorless frame, into the living area.

"Whaaaat?" I heard him call in response.

She turned back to me. "He's never going to offer you a drink. I'll get it. What would you like, Serenity?"

Good question.

-

-

-

Dinner was turned out to be interesting. Joey and Mai sat as they usually did, with Joey at the end of the table, Mai at his right. It wasn't that Joey had one of those master-of-the-house personalities… He'd informed me solemnly, after I'd teased him about it once, that if he sat opposite Mai he was too far away, and if he sat next to her, he had to turn sideways to look at her while he ate, but if he sat at the end and she sat at once side, he was both next to her and facing her.

It was disgustingly sweet.

Of course, if Joey had realised that, he wouldn't have told me, but he was so infatuated with his tall blonde Amazonian that he didn't even realise he was infatuated. Mai realised, which is why she put up with him as the 'head' of the table.

Anyway, once they sat in their usual seats, I took mine where I usually do opposite Mai.

I was afraid for a moment that Mokuba was going to be murdered by Tristan as he leaped into the chair next to me. If looks could kill, Mokuba would have been one charming, mohawked cadaver. As it was, that left Tristan either sitting at the other end, or facing Mokuba for the meal, and he chose facing Mokuba.

Apparently because it afforded him the best place to glare at the eighteen year old from.

Joey was oblivious to all this.

"So Serenity, what happened at that charity thing anyway?"

All eyes were on me. "Uh…" I tried to swallow my mouthful of linguini. Mai and Tristan's combined efforts had proved very tasty, but it was hard to enjoy that with three of them watching me.

Three of them. Mokuba already knew the details, and he was enthusiastically concentrating on his pasta.

"I wasn't feeling well from, uh… Saturday… And I had a little disagreement with - " I hesitated. Calling him 'Kaiba' with Mokuba next to me seemed wrong. But calling him 'Seto' out loud would imply that a level of familiarity that we didn't have. However, Joey started nodding, so I assumed I didn't need to say his name at all.

"Yeah, and then, Duke came over, but since I wasn't feeling well, when he offered me a drink I felt kind of sick - "

"- and tore across the room like a drunken prom date on a rampage," Joey finished for me.

Mokuba snorted, apparently choking on a piece of pumpkin. Tristan automatically glared at him. I think Mai kicked Joey under the table. I just rolled my eyes.

"I guess so."

"So what's this about Mokuba employing you? Why are you quitting the restaurant?"

Mokuba glanced up at Tristan, who was looking at me, his mouth parted slightly in surprise. Oh, what tangled webs we weave…

Mokuba picked up the conversation, apparently in case Tristan's spluttering caused a minor disaster. "Why wouldn't she? I'm offering her a job in the field her degree is heading towards, and she won't be on her feet the whole time."

"You're not working with Kaiba, are you?" Joey asked, bluntly. "I mean… The other Kaiba."

Mokuba laughed. "No, my brother wants nothing to do with my ticket to stardom."

"You're already a star," I pointed out.

"More stardom! It's so sparkly. I need more of it!"

I coughed, trying to cover a laugh. That hadn't even made sense, but whatever. No one else seemed to care. Mai and Joey had taken the new Mokuba in a stride. Hey, one of their best friends still went around in a dog collar talking about dead kings; I guess Mokie would have to work harder to shock them.

"So wear something with sequins," Tristan suggested. His tone was not quite friendly. I was becoming more and more uncomfortable at this dinner.

Tristan really, really was NOT happy around Mokuba. Surely he wasn't that jealous? Me and Mokuba, that was kind of ridiculous. Then I heard my own internal monologue repeat back to me the words I'd thought of earlier… Walking sex symbol.

Okay, maybe not that ridiculous.

But it was still ridiculous! Really. Mokuba was younger than me. It was almost like having another brother around. One that was extremely flirtatious. Okay, that was just wrong…

I shook my head again.

"No?" Joey asked. "What do you mean, no?"

"What?" I'd tuned out their conversation.

"I asked if you liked the pasta," Mai said. She frowned at me.

"Sorry, I was totally away with the fairies. It's delicious, as usual."

She seemed sceptical about my excuse.

-

-

-

I offered to do the dishes. Since Mokuba and Joey had decided the perfect finish to the evening would be a video game, and Mai had declared there was no way either of them were going to be a match for her (which, perhaps, was part of the reason why she is a good match for my brother… What can I say? The girl loves games…), unfortunately, that made the kitchen the perfect place for Tristan to get me alone.

I tried to concentrate on the soapy water sloshing around the pink rubber gloves. Mai and Joey had a dishwasher, of course, but Mai didn't like putting her pots and pans in it, for whatever reason. I picked up the small, green, bristly towel-thing and started scrubbing at the large pot the pasta had been cooking in.

"So you're quitting your job?"

I glanced at Tristan. He was standing to my right, leaning against the countertop, there to dry the dishes I washed, and put them away.

"Looks like it."

"I suppose that's good. I mean… No more strip club."

I glanced over my shoulder towards the living room. Mai, Joey and Mokuba could all be heard laughing, as computer-programmed car tyres squealed their way around an electronic course. They wouldn't hear him.

"I guess not."

"But I thought you liked it there."

I gave Tristan a Look. He had an innocent expression on his face. "Yeah, I love lying to my boyfriend and having to phone you to bail me out all hours of the morning when things go wrong."

"Oh yes, how is Duke?"

I felt my throat tighten. Silly. Must have been all the steam from the hot water. I scrubbed furiously at some burnt cheese. "He's fine." My voice came out thicker than I'd expected.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." We're all just fine.

"I guess he'll be glad that you have a new job."

That's when I felt my stomach drop down to my sneakers. Oh god. Duke wasn't even speaking to me for 'consorting with the enemy' (his words, not mine) at a party and making a scene. What if I actually went to work for a Kaiba?

"Although, you turned him down because you wanted your independence, so I guess he might think it's a little odd that you're going to let Mokuba do you a favour."

I felt my teeth clench, like it was involuntary, and scrubbed even harder at the large steel pot. I could feel Tristan's eyes on me. His tone was so casual… Too casual.

"Funny that you find Mokuba easier to get along with than your own boyfriend."

I whirled on him, and the foamy water whirled with me, a line of it splattering against Tristan's grey-green shirt. His lovely face was carefully blank. "You know, Tristan, how I get along with my boyfriend really isn't any of your business!"

Tristan looked down at me, and spread his palms up in a placating gesture. "I'm just concerned for you, Serenity. As a friend."

"Why does being my friend give you the right to belittle Duke all the time?" I tried to keep my voice down, to avoid drawing the attention of the others in the next room. They might not hear a conversation, but they'd definitely hear shouting.

"I was talking about you, actually."

"Oh, whatever, Tristan! It's never about me, is it? It's always about you and me! And 'you and me' stopped existing about a year ago!"

A pained look crossed his face, and his lips pursed. "Look, Serenity, I just don't want you to get too entangled with Mokuba and forget what's important."

"And what would that be?" I hissed. "You?"

Tristan's eyes narrowed, and he took a step toward me, narrowing the short distance between us. I had to press the wet, pink rubber gloves against my own stomach to keep from touching him. He had a familiar look in his eyes, and my heart almost skipped a beat. Damn him, it wasn't fair that this long after breaking up he still affected me. I shouldn't spend so much time with Tristan.

My lips parted in surprise, as he continued to stare at me. That was it, wasn't it? He didn't want me to stop spending time with him.

"You're still jealous!"

Tristan rolled his eyes. "Of what, exactly?"

"If I get a respectable job, I won't have to sneak around behind Duke's back just to get paid, and I won't have to come to you with all my little problems!"

"Fine! I admit it! I don't want to have even less of you in my life than I do now!"

And then he did it. I hadn't been expecting it, though perhaps I should have been. Tristan reached up and grabbed me, one hand at the small of my back, the other cradling the back of my head, and he pulled me towards him. He kissed me. For a moment I didn't know what to do – I could hardly believe he'd done it. Kissing me in my brother's kitchen.

His lips, his tongue, it was something I was so familiar with.

And then I started to suffocate. Not physically, but mentally. I squeaked and began to struggle, but Tristan was so much taller than me. Oh god, what if someone walked in? My brother – Mokuba – he wasn't letting me go -

I did the only thing I could think of. I kneed Tristan. Unfortunately, that caused him to bite down on my lower lip in surprise, and I shrieked and shoved harder at his chest. He pulled away, gasping in surprise, and like my hand had will of its own, I felt myself backhand him hard across the face.

He recoiled sideways and leaned his hands against the kitchen countertop. The white imprint of my hand took a moment to fade from his skin. A moment in which I could hear the others still laughing and racing in the living room.

I was breathing heavily, and not for good reasons – though I suppose if Tristan's kiss had been welcome, it would have been romantic. Clandestine. It was a romantic declaration. In the movies, girls are always swayed by those, right? They just tend to melt into the man's arms, reigniting their former passion. They _want _someone to take that decision away from them. I don't know if that was what Tristan had expected to happen – I think he must have honestly expected me to welcome him with open… Arms. He wasn't the type to force himself on a girl. Why would he need to? He was handsome, strong, a nice guy, really…

Except at that moment in time, I hated him.

I blinked and snapped off the gloves I'd been washing the dishes with. The front of my knit top was wet – and Tristan's, where I'd pushed at him. We'd knocked a pan and a spatula back into the sink and water had splashed across the counter.

Tristan looked up at me, stricken. "Serenity, I'm sorry, I thought - "

"Save it," I advised him, shortly, and marched out of the kitchen, smoothing my hair as I went.

"Joey, I'm so sorry, but I forgot about an assignment that's due and I really need to leave," I heard myself saying.

My brother, Mai and Mokuba all stared at me in surprise.

I smiled - it felt weak even to me. Joey opened his mouth, like he was about to say something, but then thought better of it. Yes; for once, he thought. And I was glad. Mokuba stood quickly, a look of concern on his face.

"Sure, I'll drive you home, 'Renny! I prefer racing my own car to virtual ones, anyway." His tone was much lighter than the weight in his expression.

"Hey, you better drive safely with my little sister next to you!" Joey spluttered. His previous thought was obviously forgotten.

"Joey, chill; I was winning the game, wasn't I?"

"I was just about to overtake you!" Joey protested. "One more lap and I would've been way ahead of the both of you."

"Oh, Joey." Mai shook her head, and stood to walk me to the door. "Good luck with the - " she paused almost imperceptibly, " - assignment. Give me a call when you get the chance, okay? We never got to catch up. Looks like you have a lot going on." She hugged me again, and then a moment later Mokuba and I were out in the hall, the door to Mai and Joey's safely shut behind us.

Mokuba regarded me with scrutiny, his large, dark eyes taking in my somewhat dishevelled appearance, and pale face. "Your lip's bleeding," he said, offhandedly. He reached out and wiped his thumb carefully across a small section of my chin.

"I - " I what? I didn't know what to say to that. That washing dishes was hazardous task? That I'd been attacked by stray utensil?

He shrugged, and smiled brightly. "Come on," he placed his hand on my back, and started herding me down the hallway, towards the elevator. He didn't seem pushy, but comforting. "Let's get you home, then. I might even drive at a reasonable speed. Can't have you biting your lip with anxiety this time; apparently it's had enough of a beating for today."

Well. At least my shitty day wasn't going to end up with me splattered on a windshield. Small consolation. I almost would have preferred that, about now.

-

-

-

**Author's Note:**

Another chapter bites the dust. (Or the big one? I can't decide.) Zomg review replies! I can finally respond to things! And I will respond to any and all replies I get on this chapter. However, I'm going to be offline for about three weeks so they'll probably be delayed responses this time around. Feel free to point out typos, I know there are bound to be some in there; I wanted to get this out before I abandoned you all. Thanks for reading, as always, and I hope you liked it. Oh, the angst.


	7. Chapter 7

**Little Star**

-

-

**Chapter Seven**

**-**

**-**

When I walked into our apartment, I could hear Duke in the shower. The place was quiet apart from the sound of running water, and casting a quick glance into the kitchenette, with its light on, I saw a few dishes drying on the rack. I guess he'd made himself dinner. Duke didn't normally come to the weekly meal at Joey and Mai's – he never got along well with Joey. Or Joey never got on with him. I guess my brother kind of resented that I'd left one of his best friends for 'Dice Boy'. Duke tried to ignore it for my sake, but my older brother always had some pointed remark about my wellbeing to counter him with. Not that Joey was being deliberately troublesome – he genuinely thought he had my back.

Brothers.

At least our – my – mother made up for it by referring to Duke as 'better to her than her own son.'

One big happy family, huh?

As I went through the apartment I flicked the lights on, dropping my satchel and schoolbooks – which had stayed in Mokuba's car during dinner – onto the desk on the far side of the living room, and then headed into me and Duke's room. I kicked my white sneakers off into the corner and allowed myself a moment to collapse on the bed.

I might have stayed there for a while, thinking with my face in a pillow, but decided I didn't want to look like I was lying there sulking when Duke came out of the ensuite. I quickly changed out of my pink knit top (soapy water had left a faint splotch across the front of it), dropped it into the laundry basket, and pulled an oversize t shirt I sometimes wear to bed on, over my jeans. It had a Red Eyes on the front of it – a gift from Joey. I was about to head into the lounge area and open a textbook at the desk when I heard the water shut off.

Flee into a book and wait for Duke to come find me, or stand here and face him. What a great set of options. Well, I couldn't wait for Seto Kaiba to burst in and rescue me this time around, and I didn't want Duke's silent treatment to go on much longer. The thought of all the things I had to say wasn't a good one, though. My stomach fluttered. Still, it was less than a minute before the door opened and a rush of steam entered the room. And there he was.

Duke stood in the doorway to the ensuite, staring at me. He seemed a bit surprised that I was there waiting for him. He was barely dry, his hair slick with water and pushed back off his face, which showed off his high cheekbones and startling, light green eyes. His black bathrobe made his neck and a gaping triangle of skin at his chest seem more pale than usual, but it was the nice kind of pale. White and smooth. There was a pout on his full, soft pink lips. Not quite a frown.

He cocked one eyebrow at me, but didn't say anything.

I stifled a sigh. I should have apologised yesterday. Not that he really gave me much of a chance to - but if I had, I could just pounce on him now instead of standing here not really knowing what to say.

Duke apparently got tired of waiting for me to speak up, and walked out of the doorway and into the bedroom. He carried an armful of clothing past to the laundry basket I'd just left my own top in. I turned, watching him drop his clothes, and then he looked at me again - not a whole room away, now, but only a few steps.

I finally opened my mouth to start with nothing more brilliant than _I'm sorry_, when a funny look crossed his face. He stepped forward quickly and grabbed my chin, tilting my face up towards his own.

" 'Renny, what happened to you?" He sounded alarmed.

My mouth went dry as he ran his thumb gently over my lower lip. In all my anxiety about confronting him I'd actually forgotten this part. I winced as he reminded me now that my split lip was actually quite swollen.

"I - "

"There's dried blood at the edge of your mouth! Serenity…" Duke's mouth formed a tight line as he paused. There was an angry look in his eyes like I'd never seen before – one I never wanted to see again. When he spoke now his voice was hoarse. "Did somebody hit you?" He let go of my face and put both of his hands on my shoulders, staring at me searchingly.

I shook my head.

"Then what happened?" His hands shook me slightly, involuntarily.

What was I supposed to say? _I fell down the stairs?_ No… There were some things I owed him the truth about.

"I – I went to dinner at Mai and Joey's."

He continued to stare at me.

"And Tristan was there." I hadn't meant it to, but came out as a sob. Suddenly I started to cry.

"I'll kill him." Tristan's grip on my shoulders was getting tighter.

I tried to blink the tears out of my eyes. "What?"

He suddenly let me go as if he didn't quite trust himself not to squeeze me too tightly. "I'll fucking kill him." His voice was disturbingly calm. Cold. "Where's my cellphone?"

I laughed, absurdly, and grabbed at his sleeve. "Duke, I'm so sorry." I don't know if he could understand exactly what I said, since I was still crying.

"You didn't do anything?" He looked at me, actually uncertain as if maybe I had, and I shook my head furiously in response.

"No – I – He - " Was there a good way to phrase this? I'd thought he'd be mad at me. But I hadn't done anything. I hadn't wanted to – I didn't – and I couldn't – I was crying too hard to speak now, and suddenly Duke gathered me up in his arms to literally cry on his shoulder. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he picked me up, carrying me over to the bed, where he sat and pulled me into his lap. Here I wrapped my hands in the broad collar of his soft robe. He was kissing the top of my head and stroking my hair with his hands.

"That fucking bastard."

I shook my head.

"Yes, he is, Serenity."

I cried some more before I could finally tell him what happened. I was still afraid that any moment he'd get mad at me about it, and everything else we'd been fighting about.

"I went to Joey and Mai's - " I was speaking into his neck, where I sat curled up on him, "And Tristan was there." I swallowed. "I didn't know he would be! He was mad at me for hanging out with Mokuba."

Duke made an enquiring sound.

"… Mokuba came too."

Duke swallowed. "Go on."

"And Tristan and I were doing the dishes – and he was being bitchy about me and you fighting."

"How'd he know?"

I choked on a laugh. "The whole world watches the entertainment news."

"…Right."

"And he started digging at me because - "

Duke's arms tightened around me, and he sighed. "Why?"

"Mokuba offered me a job."

"…Did you take it?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I - "

"Okay, one issue at a time."

"He didn't hit me."

"…Okay…"

"He said something about wanting me in his life and the next thing I knew, he kissed me."

Duke stiffened.

Crying again. Geez, I was turning into a fountain, here. Get a hold of yourself, Serenity. I pulled away a little, and forced myself to look up – to look Duke in the eyes. "I didn't want him to! He was just – there! And he grabbed me and I couldn't – I had to get him off me."

"Oh Serenity…"

"He didn't mean to hurt me! Tristan wouldn't – he's not that kind of guy!"

"How can you say that?" Duke was very, very angry. It was hard to keep watching his face. "Obviously he IS that kind of guy, Serenity!"

"No… He just… I mean… It was just a kiss."

"Then why have I been sitting here for fifteen minutes with you crying on me?"

"A lot of girls would have reacted differently!"

"Fuck it, Serenity, I don't care how he feels about you, he should have been able to tell that he wasn't wanted!"

"…It just happened so fast." I glanced down. It hadn't really lasted that long. I'd just… Freaked out.

"So he let you go."

I shook my head.

"You had to force him off you?" His voice was rising in volume.

"I just – I panicked and I kneed him."

"You KNEED him?"

"Yeah…"

"You should have fucking cut his balls off with the kitchen knife!"

I giggled slightly. My emotions were going crazy. It seemed like giggling and crying was all I could handle. I trembled slightly. "Anyway – he accidentally bit me when I did, and that's why my lip is…"

"He BIT you?"

"Unintentionally."

"Like he unintentionally MOLESTED you!"

"He didn't molest me, Duke! It was just a kiss!"

"An unwelcome one!"

"…Yes."

Duke sighed, and this time he buried his face in my shoulder – sitting on his lap I wasn't too much shorter than him, so it wasn't as awkward as the movement usually would have been. I put my left arm around his shoulder, and wiped the tears off my face. A fair amount of eyeliner smudged off on my hand, and I realised I probably looked like hell.

"Duke… I'm so sorry."

"It wasn't your fault!" His voice was slightly muffled.

"No… About everything. About Saturday night. And Friday night. And for not apologising sooner."

Duke pulled back from me and kissed me softly on the lips, just briefly. "I'm a stubborn ass, too." He acknowledged. "I'm sorry I left you at the ball. And for going to work yesterday even though it was Sunday. And for leaving without kissing you goodbye."

He kissed me again, this time lingering a little longer.

"So… We're okay?" I asked him, my voice still wavering a little.

He paused, then nodded. "Come on." He nudged me. "Let's go ransack the kitchen. You must be hungry after all that bawling." His tone was light, a little teasing. He took my hand, and stood me up in front of him, before standing himself.

I shook my head. "I probably wouldn't have been so upset about it if I wasn't already… If I hadn't already been so upset about fighting with you." Not to mention that I'd been lying to him for months anyway.

"I'm still going to kill him."

-

-

-

"Now, Sweetcheeks, just sit yourself down and your wish is my command."

"I'll 'sweetcheeks' you," I muttered.

"Okay, but not until after we get you some food." Duke was unphased.

He steered me over to the bench that separated our lounge area from the small kitchen, and sat me at one of the high stools on the lounge-side. Then he walked into the kitchen, running a hand through his hair. By now it was almost dry, and looking soft. He hadn't bothered to style it – he didn't usually at night since he was just going to sleep on it anyway, and then have to get up the next day and do it over. He must have put something in it to keep it off his face like that, though. His black hair was fairly long when it wasn't sticking up all angles – just past his shoulders.

Duke opened the freezer compartment. "Let's see… You already had dinner… So… Dessert." He pulled out a box of frozen waffles, as well as a carton of chocolate ice cream. The waffles went in the toaster and the ice cream on the bench, as he rifled around for two bowls, spoons, maple syrup and chocolate sauce.

"That's a lot of sugar."

"Sweets for my sweet," he quipped, with a wink. What a ham.

He soon sat himself at the stool next to me, and started to quickly eat his bowl of dessert-like goop. I watched him, poking at my own, not really sure if I had an appetite.

He swallowed. "You're supposed to be eating that."

I blinked. He leaned over and grabbed the spoon out of my hand, shovelling it with ice cream and waffle, and then making an aeroplane noise as he flew it towards my mouth. I laughed and let him feed it to me, kicking him as I did. He nudged me back with his own foot.

We sat for a while with our ankles and lower legs wrapped together, before he cleared his throat and pushed his dessert bowl away from himself.

"So… The job?"

"Oh… Right." How mad was he going to be about this? Tristan did have a good point. But then, working for Mokuba wasn't the same thing as working for my boyfriend, was it?

"Mokuba called me up today because he wanted to offer me a job. That's how he wound up coming to dinner with me."

"I didn't know you two were so close."

"We're not. Well, I mean… You know I've known him for ages."

"You've seen him a lot lately." Duke's green eyes were guarded.

"I know… You know when we were younger he used to get along with my brother, and Yuugi."

"Yeah?"

"I never spent much time with them after Battle City, same way you had your own things to do in the end…"

"Tristan and I got along fine for a while."

I glanced down. Yeah, they'd actually been hanging out before I started dating Tristan in highschool. It all sort of went downhill from there… Especially the way Tristan and I broke up. And then I started dating Duke right after… Yep, I'm a friendship-wrecker.

"Anyway, I told you he came into my work last week." Not a lie. "We just seem to get along well, and he's offered me a job as his PA."

"But I thought you didn't want to be an assistant. I offered…" His voice trailed off uncertainly.

I tried to think of the right way to phrase it. Damn these men. Since when did I have so many of them around me, anyway? I needed more female friends. "No… I guess, I didn't want to be your assistant, Duke, because I thought if we worked together it would mess up our relationship."

Fair enough. It was true. I also didn't want to be that beholden to him, but this was an equally valid point.

"What about Kaiba? The other one."

"Seto Kaiba? …What about him?"

"…Are you working with him?" Duke seemed quite serious. The older Kaiba was already a huge business rival. I guess Duke couldn't help but see him as a rival where I was concerned – let alone that I barely knew the guy.

"No… Mokuba's starting his own company, I guess."

"Doing what?"

"Television."

"So… This is something that will actually help with your career when you graduate?"

I nodded. I could see Duke weighing the points in his mind like a list of pros and cons.

"Better pay, I suppose?"

I nodded again.

"…Would you be working nights?"

I tilted my head to the side. "I don't know, we didn't get up to discussing hours, but he said he could work it to my class schedule."

"Why you?"

"…Why not me?" Should I be insulted?

He grinned. "Sorry, Cupcake, I just meant that there'd be plenty of other people who'd want the job, and with more experience."

I shrugged. Good question, but Mokuba had already answered it for me. "He needs someone he can rely on to boost his image as a responsible businessman."

Duke snorted. "Good luck with that…"

I kicked him again.

Duke wasn't willing to concede the point with only that rebuttal. "Hey, you have to admit it... As a twelve year old, he was a great businessman. But he totally vanished during the past few years, and now he's back it sure seems like he did _not_ inherit that stick his brother has up his ass."

"Because your hairstyle is totally normal, and you NEVER wear black nailpolish to work." My boyfriend was a pretty, pretty boy. He wore more make up than me. Normal girls might be threatened by that. I was just amused.

Duke rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright…"

"I guess he just feels like he needs someone he can trust, and he figures he can trust my integrity like he could Yugi and Joey's…"

Duke started to laugh. "I'm sorry…" he gasped, "But you said 'integrity' and 'Joey' in the same sentence…"

I grabbed his empty bowl and my own, and stood up. "Yes, laugh it up, Chuckles." I smiled at him so he could tell that I wasn't really mad about the insult. I could feel his eyes on me as I rinsed out the dishes and put them in our dishwasher-drawer.

"Okay."

I glanced up at him. " 'Okay'?"

"Okay, take the job."

I felt myself grinning. "Really?" I was actually going to get away with this? Without any kind of yelling? And no more use of the phrase 'consorting with the enemy'?

He sighed. "Yes, really. How could I ask you to keep your current job when this one will be so much better for you?"

I felt a slight pang of guilt, but decided to squash it. Duke would never have to know about the strip club. I hadn't really done anything wrong by working there… It's not like I was a stripper, right? And I worked with nice people there. It had just been my best job option, especially considering how much more it would pay than a regular job waiting tables. And I'd tried regular cafes and restaurants, but there always seemed to be someone they liked more – someone who actually had job experience, or could do hours I couldn't with my class timetable.

"And I'm taking you out to dinner tomorrow night."

I ran around the counter and hugged him. "Thank you, Duke."

"Hey, I expect more gratitude than that for my calm and generous manner."

I stood on tip toe and kissed him. "How's that?"

Duke cocked his head to one side for a moment, than shook it. "No. Not good enough." He leaned over picked me up once again.

"Why Duke, what strong arms you have!"

"All the better to carry you off to bed, Baby."

I laughed. You had to hand it to him - Mokuba seemed to call everyone pet names as a kind of flirtatious joke. Since we'd started living together, Duke only ever used them on me – and he knew they were silly, but he still put on his best suave poker face to deliver them. It was a kind of over-the-top charm that some people would hate… But he was my over-the-top charmer. And maybe we'd actually be okay, afterall.

Maybe I'd even get a good night's sleep tonight - then again, from the look in Duke's eyes, maybe not.

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_What'd ya think? Amused? Confused? Annoyed that there's no Kaiba? Wondering why the hell I said there'd be silentshipping in this fic when there's currently almost everything but? Hey, Serenity's actual boyfriend deserved a chapter. Kaiba will be in the next one. So, let me know what you think._


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